Department of Public Works officials said part of Light Street, where the break to a 20-inch line occurred shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, will remain shut down for a few weeks as crews complete emergency repairs.

"Baltimore has a lot of old pipes. This 20-inch line was installed in 1889," Baltimore DPW Director Al Foxx said.

There about 3,800 miles of pipe in the city and surrounding counties, according to the DPW.

"We're removing a 20-inch line from Redwood (Street) all the way down to Lombard Street, and there's another parallel line -- a 10-inch line -- which was installed some place in 1914, and we're also going to replace that," Foxx said.

STREET CLOSURES:

Light Street will be closed from Baltimore to Lombard streets for the next three weeks for repairs

East Redwood Street was closed Tuesday between Calvert and Light streets

Mount Royal Avenue is closed from North Avenue to Charles Street throughout the weekend (due to Artscape, not the main break)

The actual break occurred on the west side, at 101 Light St. (coincidentally where Light Street meets Water Street) between Baltimore and Lombard streets, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works tweeted. City officials have asked the public to avoid Light and Pratt streets.

"We're going to remove the lines and replace them with new ones so that when we close this road, we will not have to come back again," Foxx said.

SkyTeam 11 reported that water gushed into streets Monday evening, and a mud puddle began to form in the Inner Harbor around the area of the Atrium.

DPW officials said they weren't sure how long a fix would take. Contractors worked on Tuesday to install temporary pipes to get water back up and running to the buildings affected.

The DPW said the water main was built in the 1889, and that it most likely deteriorated because of its old age. WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Barry Simms said crews are also concerned about a 10-inch water main that was installed in 1914, so they're going to remove it, too.

"It's clear that we have aging infrastructure and haven't been able to invest in that infrastructure in decades. That's why you're seeing the DPW increasing to invest back into the pipes, because they're not meant to last 50 to 100 years," said City Councilman William Cole.

Seven businesses in the area were affected by the break and were closed on Monday. Some businesses remained closed on Tuesday too.

The effects on the road may be felt for much longer. SkyTeam 11 reported seeing as many as three or four spots where the roadway had buckled on Light Street not long after the break occurred.

"You're going to have a sink hole. Basically, that's what it is. You have water gushing under the asphalt, and that's going to cause a void under there. That happens even with the smallest of water main breaks," said DPW spokesman Kurt Kocher.

The DPW said the city will likely continue to see these types of breaks until it can come up with the money to update the sewer and water system -- something the department said would take around $5 billion to completely overhaul.

City officials said they're lobbying for federal help, but if they started right now to begin an overhaul, it would cost about $1 million per mile.

The break also appeared to have affected Monday evening traffic on the southbound Jones Falls Expressway.

MTA Maryland local and commuter bus routes were also affected by the break as several routes were diverted, possibly for the next several days, including local buses 1, 7, 10, 11, 19, 30, 46, 35, 61, 64 and 120, as well as commuter buses 310, 410 and 411. For the route diversions, visit the MTA website.

Breaking News: When you see breaking news, share photos and videos on u local.

Below are pictures of past breaking news stories that were sent in by our u local members. If you see news happening, upload your photos to WBALTV.com's u local.